Game 127 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Manager Dusty Baker opted to give left-hander Gio Gonzalez an extra day of rest following a 121-pitch effort in his last start. Today, Gonzalez faces off against the division rival Mets.

The 4-1 win over the Padres last Sunday was another prime example of the 2017 Gonzalez: one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.

Baker is keen on giving Gonzalez and the other starters a day of rest or more in the season's final month with the Nationals well out ahead in the National League East.

Gonzalez has been on a roll. He has won his last four starts with an incredible 0.33 ERA, matching only Charlie Lea, Pedro Martínez and Javier Vázquez as the only hurlers in franchise history to post an ERA of 0.50 or less over four straight starts, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The two big questions of the day center around Max Scherzer and Ryan Zimmerman. Scherzer had a bullpen session Friday and appears to be on target to return for the Sunday night series finale. Zimmerman missed Friday's game with a sore shoulder after sliding in safely late in Thursday's game at Houston. Zimmerman is out for today and hopes to be back for one of the games on Sunday.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 184/869, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 6 mph in from center field

NATIONALS (76-50)
LF Howie Kendrick
SS Wilmer Difo
3B Anthony Rendon
1B Adam Lind
C Matt Wieters
CF Michael A. Taylor
RF Andrew Stevenson
2B Adrián Sanchez
LHP Gio Gonzalez

METS (56-71)
2B José Reyes
CF Juan Lagares
3B Asdrúbal Cabrera
1B Wilmer Flores
SS Amed Rosario
C Kevin Plawecki
RF Travis Taijeron
LF Brandon Nimmo
RHP Robert Gsellman